May 16, 2011

Welcome bake sale supporters! If you stopped by our Share our Strength bake sale at Kiehl's last Saturday or just follow us on Twitter and Facebook, you know that I made these deceptive sweet treats to raise money for a good cause. Though I'm not a professional baker, I do like to entertain (as evidence by the parties I've styled) and these burger cupcakes and French Fry cookies would be perfect for any kids' party or burger-fanatic's get-together (like my husband and his friends!)

Making this combo is incredibly easy; however, they took me a lot of time to put together. The effort was well worth it as our bake sale raised over $800 for Share our Strength. Here are my step-by-step instructions, with notes on shortcuts you can take:

Step 1: Bake your favorite vanilla and chocolate cupcakes (I liked this recipe for vanilla cupcakes but substituted additional 1 tsp vanilla extract for the beans. For chocolate cupcakes, I used this one, but substituted milk instead of water).
Tips: Fill the batter up to the half-way mark so that your cupcakes don't expand too large.
Shortcut: Use boxed cake mix in a pinch.
Alternatives: Instead of chocolate cupcakes, you could also make chocolate brownies and then cut them into 2-inch circles.

Step 2: Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the vanilla cupcakes
Tip: Gradually add the seeds to your liking. I found it easier to sprinkle them with my fingers versus pouring them from the container. Also, if your sesame seeds are not sticking well to the top, make a simple syrup. Brush the top of the vanilla cupcakes first with the simple syrup and then add the sesame seeds.

Step 3: Cut the vanilla cupcakes in half to make the "bun".
Tip: Use a very sharp knife (I used this one) so that the cupcake doesn't fall apart.

Step 4: Cut 1/2 inch circles from the bottom of the chocolate cupcakes to make the "burger". (I saved the discarded cupcakes to make cake pops, like I did for Christmas)
Tip: Again, use a very sharp knife (I used this one) so that the cupcake doesn't fall apart.

Step 5: Now we're ready for the toppings! Put vanilla frosting into 3 different bowls (about 2-3 heaping spoonfuls in the "mustard" and "relish" bowls, 2 spoonfuls in the "ketchup" bowl). Add food coloring in each (I used Wilton gel coloring in Golden Yellow, Kelly Green, and No Taste Red). (For the frosting, I used a container of Betty Crocker Vanilla Frosting. With my KitchenAid mixer still in Toronto, it takes a long time to whip up fluffy icing!). Put colored frosting into a small Ziploc bag and snip a tiny hole in one end. Pipe the icing to look like ketchup, mustard, and relish.

Tip: The red was the hardest for me to get right. Start with a smaller amount of frosting (2 spoonfuls) and add the coloring. For the Ziploc bag, start with a small hole and increase size if necessary.

Shortcut: Use pre-colored icing tubes/decorating gels.

Burgers (cupcakes) are ready to be served!

Step 1: To make the French Fry cookies, I used my Christmas sugar cookie recipe (but used vanilla extract instead of lemon extract). Note that this recipe makes a lot of dough so I keep the rest in the freezer for future use.
Tip: The dough needs to be chilled before using, so make the dough ahead of time.
Shortcut: Use sugar cookie mix.

Step 2: Roll out the dough as thin as you can (about 1/4 inch) and thinly cut the "French Fries" (less than 1/2 inch wide).
Tip: The cookies will expand while baking so don't worry if you think your "fries" are too thin. Again, use a very sharp knife (I used this one).

Let the "fries" cool before serving.

To amp up the illusion of burgers and fries, I cut out and glue-gunned containers for the cupcake and cookies. I used this template created by Bakerella. (Also, check out Bakerella's post on her Cupcake and Brownie burger with Cookie fries!)

Step 1: Print the template (page 1 and 4) on cardstock. Page 1 should be printed on a white or light-colored cardstock so that the red checkered pattern can be seen. I printed Page 4 (fries template) on red cardstock, but any color will do.
Tip: The template lines are very light so using lighter cardstock makes it easier to see the lines.

Step 2: Cut and glue everything together. Feel free to add stickers or party circles onto the French Fry template. (I had created Bake Sale Cupcake Tags and added them onto the French Fry containers, but any party circle will do. You can also leave them plain).

I also cut up sheets of parchment paper to lay the "burger" and "French fries" on as well. Hope you enjoy these step-by-step instructions and, as always, email us or post on Facebook any photos of your burger cupcake creations!